About
Our vision
Changeworks’ vision is for a world where everyone is able to live, work and enjoy life with a low carbon impact.
Our mission
To develop and deliver high impact solutions to make low carbon life a positive reality for everyone.
Our values
Collaboration, empowerment, innovation, integrity and passion
Our strategy
Changeworks has an ambitious new strategy with one clear purpose: to decarbonise homes in Scotland.
We have a strong track record of installing energy efficiency measures in homes at risk of fuel poverty supported by Scottish Government grants, and plan to significantly expand this activity to address the threat of the climate emergency in Scotland. We will grow by scaling existing activity, developing new services, and innovating for the future. We have bold plans to increase the number of householders and organisations we support. Through sharing our expertise and knowledge, we will enable and accelerate the activities of others to decarbonise Scotland’s homes.
Over the next three years, we will:
- Identify and engage households across Scotland to take action to decarbonise their homes
- Support households to install energy efficiency and low-carbon heating systems to decarbonise their homes
- Innovate delivery models and solutions for heat and energy systems for homes
- Accelerate decarbonisation through research, evaluation, dissemination and influencing
- Grow the capacity and capability of Changeworks to rapidly scale impact
We will support the installation of energy efficiency measure and renewables in 28,000 homes. Provide advice to 225,000 households and providing in-depth support to 10,000 people at risk of fuel poverty.
The delivery of our strategy is forecast to require the financial growth of the organisation from £7.2 m in 2021/22 to £13.8m in 2024/25, supporting an expansion of our staffing from 166 in 2021/22 to 277 in 2024/25. We will continue to reduce our carbon footprint as we grow.
Our people
The Board of Changeworks is responsible for setting the strategic direction and oversight of the organisation. Board members are selected following open recruitment and have a diverse range of skills and backgrounds. Del Redvers is the chair and Jo O’Hara the vice-chair.
Changeworks employs 166 staff spread over four Directorates: Operations, Technical, Strategy and Central Services. Each of the Directorates is led by an experienced and talented Director with sector specific knowledge. Our delivery is dependent on having a strong and empowered staff team. In 2021 we achieved Investors in People Platinum, the highest level of accreditation only obtained by a handful of employers in Scotland.
We are also supported in our delivery by a team of 50 volunteers.
Our joint ventures
Changeworks is an equal joint venture partner in Warmworks alongside the Energy Saving Trust and Everwarm. Warmworks was established in 2015 to act as Managing Agent for the Scottish Government’s national fuel poverty scheme, Warmer Homes Scotland. In recent years it has expanded to deliver a wider range of managing agent and managing contractor services across the UK with an annual turnover of £42 million. Warmworks has equally ambitious growth plans to Changeworks.
Changeworks Recycling was initially established as a trading subsidiary but is now jointly owned with entrepreneur, Forbes Connor. It provides business recycling services across the central belt of Scotland.
Our partners
All our services are delivered in conjunction with others. The Scottish Government is a major funder of Home Energy Scotland, Energy Efficient Scotland: Area-based schemes and Warmer Homes Scotland. We seek to share our experience of delivery to enhance future government programmes. We deliver Home Energy Scotland in South East of Scotland and the Highlands and Islands, and Local Energy Scotland under contract to the Energy Saving Trust (EST). EST are also a joint venture partner in Warmworks. We provide services to many local authorities and housing associations across Scotland and local communities can be key to our engagement.
We seek to extend our influence by working with other likeminded organisations and are an active member of the Climate Emergency Response Group and the Existing Homes Alliance.
Our finances
As a charity strong financial management is vital to ensure that our resources are fully committed to the delivery of mission. In 2021/22 Changeworks had a direct turnover of £7m and acted as managing agent for a further £17m local authority area-based schemes. Over 80% our funding is from short or long term contracts for the delivery of services with 20% coming from charitable grant funding. We are actively investing in our future spending £650k in 2021/22 in developing new services, research and development, and strengthening our support functions. We have a strong balance sheet with forecast unrestricted funds of £6.5 million in March 2022 – two-thirds of which are cash backed.
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